The Parting Glass
by darlingcas
Summary: 1800s Bethyl AU:Elizabeth Greene lives a privileged life of dresses and dinner parties in the south, until she is sent out west by her father to be the wife of Sheriff Richard Grimes. The journey out west is gritty and dangerous, and the only way she'll make it is with her escort, Daryl Dixon. But when the two begin to too close, a painful decision will have to be made.
1. Arrangements

Elizabeth brushed the flour off her hands and studied her handiwork. Her father hated when she did things like this, but something about cooking and cleaning gave her a sense of purpose.

_"You are a young woman of privilege, Elizabeth. Those tasks are beneath you."_ He always insisted. But she found a sort of comfort in the fireplace and rough wooden furniture of the kitchen.

Things had been more then hard lately, her father Herschel Greene nearly losing his trade business and the recent departure of her sister Maggie, and Beth needed an escape. So down to the kitchen she went, and began baking.

Her earliest memories were in the kitchen. She and her older sister Maggie would slip into the kitchen when their father wasn't around and learn different recipes from The Help. Since Herschel was against slavery, he'd hired men and women to do the work normally occupied by slaves.

Beth would roll up her sleeves, giggling with Maggie as they made a mess of things, the cooks smiling and shaking their heads at the two little girls, inseparable ever since the death of their mother.

But now, Maggie was gone. She'd disappeared one day without a trace. A few months later a letter arrived from Maggie letting her father and sister know that she was safe and happy but that she was not coming back.

Beth sighed and blew strands of her light blonde hair from her face. The biscuits she'd baked were ready, and she lifted them carefully out of the oven, humming softly to herself. She was so taken by her task that she didn't notice her father standing there. He cleared his throat loudly.

She looked up startled, and smiled sweetly at her father. He seemed to take no notice of the biscuits as he tilted his head to the side and motioned for her to follow him.

"Come to my study Elizabeth. We have some things to discuss."

She swallowed hard and smoothed out her dress as she followed her father up the stairs.

Their home was beautiful, but not especially grand. Even so, it was a wonderful place that used to be full of light and happy memories, the excited chatter of multiple voices echoing through the halls. Now it was mostly dark, and only two people lived in the house. A young lively girl who dreamed of more, and a lonely old man who had lost almost everything he cared about.

The study was always a source of curiosity and wonder to young Beth. It was full of stories and maps of far off places, letters to men across the oceans that her father traded with. When she was but a little slip of a girl she would crawl up into her fathers lap and beg him to tell her of the far off places that he'd been to.

Beth had the feeling that he hadn't called her here to tell her of a journey across the sea. Clutching at her dress she sat across from her father at his large cherrywood desk.

He cleared his throat and ran a hand across his clean-shaven face.

"Elizabeth, you know things have been _hard_ lately. My business has gone downhill, and since the news of my...political standing has gotten out to the public, things have gotten even worse."

He hesitated for a moment before continuing, picking up a letter off of his desk and fiddling with it absentmindedly.

"You've come of age where you should be looking for a husband, and since your options here are limited, I went ahead and have arranged something for you."

It took a moment for his words to sink in. He couldn't possibly mean what it sounded like. Her father would never arrange a marriage for her.

"Father?" Her blue eyes were wide and questioning.

"You will be escorted out west to meet your new husband. His name is Richard Grimes, he is the Sherriff of a small town in the west. He is in need of a mother for his two young children, one of whom is a baby, and he is willing to offer a handsome some of money to the family of a young woman willing to become his wife."

Her jaw dropped open slightly. "You can't possibly be serious, Father. Please this is absolutely ridiculous. You can't just sell me to some cowboy in the west!"

Herschel looked pained as he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

"Bethy," he said gently, using her childhood nickname. "I'm not selling you my dear. I'm sending you to a better place, giving you a chance at a better one here is willing to allow their son to marry the daughter of someone with my strong political and religious views. I've heard the west is thriving, full of freedom and things that you just could never have here. You will have a good home, a kind husband and a steady income. And the money he's offering will allow me to continue my business and survive here steadily."

The world was spinning around her, all of this felt surreal.

"Selling me doesn't sound like the best religious decision, father. He could be abusive, drunk, anything for that matter. And how do you know he is good on his word? He may not even give you the money."

"Rick Grimes is a good man." He father reassured her, reaching over the desk to take her hand.

"Beth, I love you, but there is no discussion here. You are going to marry Richard, and that is final. You may be upset about this now, but I promise you my sweet girl, you will thank me for this one day."

She would hear no more of this. She stood up, casting her father a look of mortification before rushing out the door, her petticoats swishing as she slammed the study door.

Marry some faceless stranger from the west? She most certainly would not.


	2. Hell Hath No Fury

**A/N This is going to be a bit of a short chapter, but I'll hopefully be updating often, so that should make up for it.**

**Comments make my day, by the way :)**

_Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned._

Perhaps the old saying should be revised to say, "Hell hath no fury like Elizabeth Greene scorned."

It would be much more frightening and much more accurate. From the moment her father told her she would be moving out west, she had done everything she could think of to stop it from happening. But instead of smashing the family china like Maggie had done when she was upset, beautiful little Beth did what she had always done. Turned on the tears.

"Please Daddy, I beg of you. Do _not _send me away. I'll do absolutely anything. I can find someone to marry here. I know I can. You and I can live comfortably until then. And after I'm married my husband will surely help you, you could even live with us!"

Herschel's kind blue eyes looked sad and hazy as he replied. "Elizabeth, I've made my decision."

Now here they were, the day of her departure. "I'm not going." She shook her head, looking like an indignant toddler instead of the twenty year old woman that she was.

"Come now, Bethy. Don't make our last moments miserable. Your escort will be arriving any minute."

He opened his arms and hugged his daughter, taking in the feel of her in his arms, remembering what it was like when she was just a little one.

Beth closed her eyes and tried to fight off the tears as she took a breath. She breathed in the heavy musk that clung to his jacket. The smell of his spicy cologne and the tobacco that he had _"quit smoking"_ even though the smell still clung to his clothes.

"When can I come home? To visit, I mean."

"Well that all depends on your husband. But you can write." He smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Come on now, lets see if Daryl's arrived yet."

~()~

"No." Beth's voice came out shrill. "I will not travel in _that." _She looked horrified, not even taking any notice of the man that was to be her escort.

The man in front of her smirked. "Well hello to you too. Whatsa matter? Never seen a wagon before?" His eyes crinkled severely at the sides, even when he lifted his hand to shade them from the sun. Beth couldn't help but think that he looked much older then he surely was. She examined him further. His tanned skin gave Beth the impression that he couldn't be from a well off family, and his muscled arms were proof that he'd had to work hard.

Beth turned to her Father, forgetting about the stranger and turning her attention back to her traveling conditions.

"But. I thought that we would be taking a carriage or..."

The man cocked an eyebrow. "I'm Daryl, by the way. Just in case we never get 'round to introductions with all this carriage business."

Beth frowned and extended her hand gingerly. "Elizabeth Greene." She stated.

"Now if you don't mind, we need to be going." He tipped his hat at Herschel and picked up Elizabeth's trunk from the ground.

He grunted, almost struggling with the weight of it. "What'd you pack in here? Bricks?" He muttered, heaving the trunk into the wagon.

"I packed what I need to survive." She replied sharply.

He sent her a look but quickly looked away, dread sinking into the pit of his stomach. This was going to be the trip from hell.

Forget the horrible desert conditions, he wasn't going to be able to deal with this snobby brat of a girl. He sucked in a deep breath and nodded at Herschel.

"Sir."

Herschel nodded and took his daughters hand. "It's time for you to go. Be safe, Beth. I love you."

Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I wish you weren't making me do this." She whispered. "But I love you. And I

l'll see you soon."

She climbed up in the wagon with the help of Daryl, and was off to start her new life.


End file.
